1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a box-type microscope apparatus, such as an optical microscope apparatus, having a housing for blocking light or protecting a specimen environment, which chiefly uses a microplate, for the purpose of the observation and/or measurement of a living specimen such as a cell.
2. Description of Related Art
Optical microscopes are generally used as means for observing living cells, in vivo, such as medium cell specimens, cultured with culture fluid on petri dishes or microplates. In recent years, the optical microscope has been combined with a high-sensitivity image pickup means, such as a cooled CCD camera, so that feeble fluorescent light is detected from the medium cell labeled by fluorescence and is recorded as image data. The fluorescent light from the medium cell labeled by fluorescence is extremely feeble, and in order to detect this feeble fluorescent light with accuracy, the detection of light other than the fluorescent light from the cell, namely, of disturbance light, must be prevented as far as possible. For this, some optical microscope apparatuses commercially available have structures such that the entire inverted microscope is covered with a housing and thereby external light is not detected at least when an image is acquired. Such a box-type optical microscope apparatus includes an electric stage on which a microplate can be placed and which is controlled by a computer and thereby can be moved in X and Y directions.
In recent motor-operated microscope systems, a system is proposed that a microscope apparatus is loaded with a personal computer (hereinafter referred as to “PC”) and thereby Graphical User Interface (hereinafter referred to as “GUI”) is used for an operation screen so that electric control can be made through the operation screen of a control program by Dynamic Link Library (hereinafter referred to as “DLL”).
The motor-operated microscope system of this type in the box-type optical microscope apparatus is set forth in the printed matter of the operation screen, for example, of (1) Molecular Devices, “MetaMorph”, [online search], http://www.nihonmdc.com/pages/UIC/metamorph.html and (2) Olympus Soft Imaging Solutions, “Scan R”.
FIGS. 1-3 are explanatory views showing the operation screen of the motor-operated microscope system described in Item (1), in which FIG. 1 shows a state where the control program is started, FIG. 2 shows a state where various window screens are opened, and FIG. 3 shows a state where a journal file production window screen is opened. This motor-operated microscope system has a boot screen 50, a camera control condition setting screen 51, a focus control condition setting screen 52, an objective control condition setting screen 53, an observation well setting screen 54, a microplate scanning condition setting screen 55, and a photographed image displaying screen 56, and is constructed so that a preset task bar shown in FIG. 1 is selected to give a command and thereby the screens 51-56 can be displayed as window screens on the boot screen 50.
The camera control condition setting screen 51 is constructed so that the exposure time of a camera and the sensitivity of binning can be set. The focus control condition setting screen 52 is constructed so that the amount of movement of the electric stage in a Z direction relative to an objective lens can be set. The objective control condition setting screen 53 is designed so that the magnification of the objective lens can be set. The observation well setting screen 54 is designed so that a desired observation well in the microplate can be set. The microplate scanning condition setting screen 55 is such that the amount of movement of the electric stage per step in the X and Y directions and the scanning order of the desired observation well in the microplate can be set. The photographed image displaying screen 56 is such that an image picked up by the camera can be displayed.
Also, in the motor-operated microscope system described in Item (1), screens for setting conditions of the brightness of illumination light and of wavelength used in the observation (for example, of an excitation filter or a barrier filter used in the observation), although not shown in FIG. 2, are additionally provided as window screens. The camera control condition setting screen 51 includes a camera operating button 51a and an image saving button 51b. The motor-operated microscope system is such that when the camera operating button 51a is pushed, image pickup is performed by the camera and when the image saving button 51b is pushed, a photographed imaged is saved in a preset storage medium. The microplate scanning condition setting screen 55 is provided with a stage operating button 55a. The motor-operated microscope system is such that when the stage operating button 55a is pushed, the electric stage is driven.
When the motor-operated microscope system provided with the control program having the operation screens constructed as mentioned above is used to carry out the observation and/or measurement of a specimen, an operator, after starting the control program to display the boot screen 50 of FIG. 1, selects the preset task bar to give a command and thereby opens the window screens 51-55 for setting individual conditions described in FIG. 2 to set a desired condition in accordance with each window screen. After the completion of the setting, the operator pushes the stage operating button 55a provided on the microplate scanning condition setting screen 55. At this time, the electric stage is operated to locate a desired specimen at an observation position. Subsequently, the operator pushes the camera operating button 51a on the camera control condition setting screen 51. At this time, the camera is operated and the image of the specimen is photographed. A picked-up image is displayed on the photographed image displaying screen 56. Next, the operator pushes the image saving button 51b provided on the camera control condition setting screen 51. At this time, the photographed image is recorded in a preset record medium. After that, a series of operations extending from the push of the stage operating button 55a to the push of the image saving button 51b is repeated with respect to all the desired observation wells set on the observation well setting screen 54. Whereby, the image pickup of the specimen in the desired observation well is completed. After this, the observation and/or measurement of the specimen can be carried out by using the picked-up image.
FIGS. 4-9 are explanatory views showing schematically the operation screen of the motor-operated microscope system described in Item (2), in which FIG. 4 shows a state where the control program is started and the preparation of photography is completed (a state where only the boot screen is opened), FIG. 5 shows a state where an auto-focus setting screen is opened, FIG. 6 shows a state where a photographic condition setting screen is opened, FIG. 7 shows a state where a photographic condition confirming screen is opened, FIG. 8 shows a state where a first screen for setting a photographic well is opened, and FIG. 9 shows a state where a second screen for setting the photographic well is opened.
The motor-operated microscope system described in Item (2) has a boot screen 70, an auto-focus setting screen 71, a photographic condition setting screen 72, a photographic condition confirming screen 73, a first screen 74 for setting the photographic well, and a second screen 75 for setting the photographic well and is constructed so that individual setting screens can be switched and displayed over nearly the entire surface of the boot screen 70. The boot screen 70, as illustrated in FIG. 4, has main and sub-screens 70a, 70b, 70c, and 70d for displaying photographed images, an automatic photography handling command button 70e, and a condition setting command button 70f. The automatic photography handling command button 70e includes a start button 70e1, an interruption button 70e2, and a stop button 70e3. The condition setting command button 70f includes an open button 70f1, an edit button 70f2, and a save button 70f3. When the edit button 70f2 is pushed, the auto-focus setting screen 71 is displayed in a state where it is superimposed on almost the entire area of the boot screen 70.
The auto-focus setting screen 71, as shown in FIG. 5, has setting items 71a-71j relative to exposure time, binning, an objective lens, a filter cube (a barrier filter), illuminance, an excitation filter, coarse focus (width and step), and fine focus (width and step); command buttons 71k and 71l for Setting OK and Setting Cancel; and a setting screen displaying button 71z. The setting screen displaying button 71z includes an auto-focus setting screen displaying button 71z1, a photographic condition setting screen displaying button 71z2, a button 71z3 displaying the first screen for setting the photographic well, and a test displaying button 71z4. When the photographic condition setting screen displaying button 71z2 is pushed, the photographic condition setting screen 72 is displayed in a state where it is superimposed on almost the entire area of the boot screen 70. When the button 71z3 displaying the first screen for setting the photographic well is pushed, the first screen 74 for setting the photographic well is displayed in a state where it is superimposed on almost the entire area of the boot screen 70. Further, when the test displaying button 71z4 is pushed, the photographic condition confirming screen 73 is displayed in a state where it is superimposed on almost the entire area of the boot screen 70.
The auto-focus setting screen 71 is such that when either the OK button 71k or the cancel button 71l is pushed, the screen is closed. When the OK button 71k is pushed, data set in the auto-focus setting screen 71 are housed in a photographic data region, not shown.
The photographic condition setting screen 72, as shown in FIG. 6, has setting items 72a-72j relative to a color channel of a fluorescent reagent, an image type, an objective lens, a filter cube (a barrier filter), Z-direction offset, exposure time, binning, an illumination kind (fluorescence or transmission), an excitation filter, and illuminance; command buttons 72k and 72l for Setting OK and Setting Cancel; and a setting screen displaying button 72z. The setting screen displaying button 72z includes an auto-focus setting screen displaying button 72z1, a photographic condition setting screen displaying button 72z2, a button 72z3 displaying the first screen for setting the photographic well, and a test displaying button 72z4. When the auto-focus setting screen displaying button 72z1 is pushed, the auto-focus setting screen 71 is displayed in a state where it is superimposed on almost the entire area of the boot screen 70. When the button 72z3 displaying the first screen for setting the photographic well is pushed, the first screen 74 for setting the photographic well is displayed in a state where it is superimposed on almost the entire area of the boot screen 70. Further, when the test displaying button 72z4 is pushed, the photographic condition confirming screen 73 is displayed in a state where it is superimposed on almost the entire area of the boot screen 70.
The photographic condition setting screen 72 is such that when either the OK button 72k or the cancel button 72l is pushed, the screen is closed. When the OK button 72k is pushed, data set in the photographic condition setting screen 72 are housed in the photographic data region, not shown. The photographic condition confirming screen 73, as illustrated in FIG. 7, has a photographed image displaying screen 73a; setting items 73b and 73c relative to a Z-direction coarse focus and a Z-direction fine focus; a setting item 73d relative to X-Y direction navigation; and command buttons 73e and 73f for Setting OK and Setting Cancel. The photographic condition confirming screen 73 is such that when either the OK button 73e or the cancel button 73f is pushed, the screen is closed. When the OK button 73e is pushed, data set in the photographic condition confirming screen 73 is housed in the photographic data region, not shown.
The first screen 74 for setting the photographic well, as shown in FIG. 8, has a setting item 74a relative to a photographic location (a column of a well to be photographed/a well to be photographed, a row of a well to be photographed/a well to be photographed); a display item 74b relative to the total number of set photographic parts (photographic numbers) per well; a selective item 74c relative to photographic parts (photographic numbers) per well; a display item 74d of the number of wells per plate, to be photographed, set in the second screen 75 for setting the photographic well; command buttons 74e and 74f for Setting OK and Setting Cancel; and a setting screen displaying button 74z. 
The setting screen displaying button 74z includes an auto-focus setting screen displaying button 74z1, a photographic condition setting screen displaying button 74z2, a button 74z3 displaying the first screen for setting the photographic well, and a button 74z4 displaying the second screen for setting the photographic well. When the auto-focus setting screen displaying button 74z1 is pushed, the auto-focus setting screen 71 is displayed in a state where it is superimposed on almost the entire area of the boot screen 70. When the photographic condition setting screen displaying button 74z2 is pushed, the photographic condition setting screen 72 is displayed in a state where it is superimposed on almost the entire area of the boot screen 70. When the button 74z4 displaying the second screen for setting the photographic well is pushed, the second screen 75 for setting the photographic well is displayed in a state where it is superimposed on almost the entire area of the boot screen 70.
The first screen 74 for setting the photographic well is such that when either the OK button 74e or the cancel button 74f is pushed, the screen is closed. When the OK button 74e is pushed, data set in the first screen 74 for setting the photographic well are housed in the photographic data region, not shown.
The second screen 75 for setting the photographic well, as shown in FIG. 9, has setting items 75a, 75b, and 75c relative to the name and type of the plate and wells per plate to be photographed; command buttons 75d, 75e, and 75f for data addition, data deletion, and data edit; and command buttons 75g and 75h for Setting OK and Setting Cancel. The second screen 75 for setting the photographic well is such that when either the OK button 75g or the cancel button 75h is pushed, the screen is closed. When the OK button 75g is pushed, data set in the second screen 75 for setting the photographic well are housed in the photographic data region, not shown.
When the motor-operated microscope system provided with the control program having the operation screens constructed as mentioned above is used to make the preparation of photography for carrying out the observation and/or measurement of the specimen, the operator, after starting the control program to display the boot screen 70 of FIG. 4, pushes the edit button 70f2 to display the auto-focus setting screen 71. Subsequently, conditions are set to various setting items. The setting screen displaying button 71z is pushed to display the photographic condition setting screen 72 and the first screen 74 for setting the photographic well, and various condition are set to preset setting items. Further, the test displaying button 71z4 on the auto-focus setting screen 71 and the test displaying button 72z4 on the photographic condition setting screen 72 are pushed to display the photographic condition confirming screen 73, and various conditions are set to preset setting items.
In the first screen 74 for setting the photographic well, the button 74z4 displaying the second screen for setting the photographic well is pushed to display the second screen 75 for setting the photographic well, and various conditions are set to preset setting items. In each setting screen, the setting screen displaying button is pushed and thereby a desired setting screen is displayed and conditions are set. When the setting of conditions is completed in each setting screen, the OK button is pushed. Whereby, data set in each setting screen are housed in the photographic data region, not shown. Each setting screen is closed and a state where only the boot screen 70 is played is brought about.
In this way, the preparation of photography for carrying out the observation and/or measurement of the specimen is completed. Also, when the save button 70f3 is pushed, the data housed in the photographic data region are saved in a preset storage region. After the preparation of photography for carrying out the observation and/or measurement of the specimen is completed, the start button 70e1 is pushed and thereby the microscope apparatus is driven in accordance with a set condition and all desired observation wells set in the second screen 75 for setting the photographic well are automatically photographed. Whereby, the image pickup of the specimen in each of the desired observation wells is completed. After this, the observation and/or measurement of the specimen can be carried out by using a picked-up image.